From Christiana Gokyo, Jos
A three-day workshop organized by JISRA for journalists in Plateau State aimed to engage with the media to ensure they spread the message of freedom of religion or belief, allowing everyone to enjoy it and promote peace.
Disclosing this the Country Coordinator for the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA ) Program in Nigeria Mr Jude Likita, said this consortium comprises seven local partners and three international organizations.
According to him, the seven local partners are DIWA, DREP, FOM1, JPRM, RUCON, SUA, and WIC, adding that, the three international partners are MENSI MENSI, represented by CAFOD here in Nigeria; TFON, the coordinating agency in Nigeria; and Search for Common Ground, a well-known peacebuilding partner here in Nigeria.
He explained that the workshop which is been held over the past three days, was organized for media practitioners.
“We want to create an opportunity for media practitioners to report religious issues in a conflict-sensitive manner. In the current Nigerian context, almost every conflict has a religious component, and whatever the media says can either trigger violence or foster peace. He stressed.
The Country Coordinator stated that this is a 40-hour program within a five-year project that started in 2021 and will end next year, 2025.
While noting that, during the workshop, questions of why Plateau and Kaduna States were selected which was raised, he said these states were chosen because they are often at the centre of religious conflicts in Nigeria. Both Plateau and Kaduna are polarized along religious lines, with significant divisions between Muslims and Christians.
According to him, this polarization is evident in various conflicts and even during election campaigns, which often have religious undertones.
Mr Likita noted that Plateau State is in the north-central region, and has become a sensitive point for religious conflict.
He further explained that the JISRA program aims to show that religion is not necessarily the root cause of each conflict but they aim to explore these conflicts, focusing on religion, and ensure that everyone can enjoy freedom of religion or belief, promoting peaceful coexistence for all.
Also speaking Mr.Promise Salawu, who works with Tearfund, urged media owners and journalists to ensure that they prioritize national interest over financial gain, economic benefits, or breaking news because it is crucial to see the common and national interest as paramount in our reporting.
He calls on journalists to keep up the good work and remain dedicated to being sensitive about conflicts and how they report, especially on conflict-related issues.
According to him, conflict-sensitive reporting focuses on reducing the potential for conflicts to be triggered by the reports presented to the general public.
He explained that one of the most important ways is by considering different perspectives, when a conflict occurs, there are always various viewpoints, and it is crucial to analyze and share these different perspectives.
“Additionally, we must be very sensitive to the language we use. The kind of language employed in communicating events or issues is critical.
“Another key aspect is framing. How do we frame our reports? What’s the tone of our reports? and the angle we take is very important because it can either escalate or de-escalate violence within communities.”
